Tailed Beast Tango
by mellra
Summary: A series of one-shot challenges with my take on if Naruto had a different Tailed Beast sealed in him. Each chapter is a new story, so please see the individual chapter and prologue for more details.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. If I did, I wouldn't have given out the rights for the Boruto sequel.

 **Tailed Beast Tango**

 **AN:** Welp, here's the latest challenge I'm working on that will be several chapters long, each one featuring a different way this challenge can go down. It will go like this:

I've seen several stories where Naruto gets a different one of the Tailed Beasts sealed in him when he's born, but not many of them are good and fewer still give a decent explanation to why one of the other Tailed Beasts got sealed in him instead of Kurama. I have come up with a solution that will solve this problem for everyone. Each chapter (around nine in total) is going to depict Naruto having a different Tailed Beast sealed inside him. The scene the chapter will depict will contain random scenes from the series that I feel would best represent the differences this change has caused and to avoid typing up the same scenario again and again.

Now, while one or two of the stories are going to have different circumstances for why they happened, the majority of them are going to be based off this here prologue that will explain why a different Tailed Beast was used. The finer details like pairings and some abilities can be discussed when each individual story is adopted, which I hope will be soon. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this _**CHALLENGE**_ and let your friends know about it so that one of you may adopt it in the near future. Allons-y!

 **Prologue:**

Kurama, the Nine Tailed Fox, groaned as he lay on the ground, massaging his stomach with a hand like paw. **"Damn those humans,"** he growled in irritation.

Why was the strongest of the Tailed Beasts so upset, you may ask? Well, a few days ago he had just hacked up two human brothers named Kinkaku and Ginkaku who had tried to capture him, who he then proceeded to eat. This proved to be a poor decision, however, as Kurama had forgotten to chew his food before swallowing, allowing the brothers to survive being eaten. And instead of having the curtesy to die in his digestive tract, those bastards stayed alive. What's worse is that, in order to survive, they had the gull to start eating the inside of his stomach so they wouldn't starve to death. Naturally as a Tailed Beast, Kurama wouldn't be killed by this but it still hurt like hell. Kurama didn't know how long he withstood the torment, but eventually the pain overrode his sense of dignity and he regurgitated the two humans.

If it wasn't for the fact that he was just recovering from having his insides made a meal of, the Fox would have killed those two worthless ninja then and there. As it was, the brothers were able to escape and, if he was sensing correctly, had made off with a chunk of his power while they were at it. The whole thing just _infuriated_ him! The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

' **These humans…they are the worst species on the planet! They lie, cheat, steal, and murder over petty things no matter who gets hurt in the process. If those two insects were able to steal a portion of my power, what's to stop other humans from trying? I wish they'd all just die!'** he mentally growled before coming to a decision. **'I cannot and will not allow any humans to have access to my power ever again! I'll find someplace safe, someplace far away from these lands where my kin and I have never been heard of and I will hide myself. No one will ever find me unless I want them to."**

He then thought of his siblings and thought, **'Should I let the other's know of my plans? It's only a matter of time before the humans go after them too, especially since I will no longer be around. I even heard they managed to capture Shukaku, the idiot.'** Kurama then shook his head, **'No. They're no longer infants that need to be told what to do. If they can figure out their own place to hide, good for them. If not, then perhaps they deserve to be caught for their stupidity. I will keep tabs on them through our connection if anything seriously wrong happens, but that's as far as I'm willing to go.'** His expression then became melancholy, **'Father…while I still believe in your words, I can no longer wait in this horrible land for the person you spoke of. I will keep searching and hoping that the one you prophesized of will come to past, but it will no longer be here!'**

With that, the great beast got onto his legs, stretching all nine of his tails out behind him. With a blast of hurricane force winds, the mighty fox vanished in a burst of speeds to parts unknown. Legend has it that he went to the Land of Waves, where he jumped into the ocean and swam to parts unknown. Others say they saw a crimson blur running to the icy tundra past the Land of Iron. And still more tales speak of a running fox wandering into the wastelands beyond the Land of Wind where not even Sand Ninja dare to travel. Whatever the case, no one saw hide or hair of the Nine Tails for many years. And little did anyone realize that this decision would change the course of history for the Elemental Nations.

Madara Uchiha growled in anger as he tossed a kunai at a map of the Elemental Nations. The blade sank into the spot containing the Village Hidden in Grass. This kunai joined dozens of others that marked various spots on the map, obviously being used to cross off locations the man had visited.

"Yet another dead end," Madara muttered darkly as his eyes, crimson from his Sharingan, wandered over the map. "Where is that damned Fox at? How can finding one dumb animal the size of a mountain be so difficult?!" In a fit of rage, Madara set the map, and the wall holding the map, on fire with a well-placed Fireball Jutsu. His anger filled face then smoothed down to its more impassive look as he went over his options.

Originally, Madara had hoped to find the Nine Tailed Fox and bend it to his will using the blessed eyes of his clan for his upcoming duel against Hashirama. However, after over a month of searching the Nations, it looked as though the rumors of the Fox fleeing the land were true. At first he thought of expanding his search to even outside the Nations, but quickly shot that idea down. Not only was the outside world yet to be explored and thus unpredictable, but the time for his duel drew near and he didn't have time to go on an extended fox hunt. He then considered just facing Hashirama by himself, but quickly shot down that idea when he remembered the last time they had fought where the Senju had crushed him utterly. No, he'd need an ace if he was to fight his former friend, and the only ones that had the power were the Tailed Beasts. While he would have preferred to have used the most powerful Tailed Beast as a way to ensure his victory, with his options limited one of the lesser Tailed Beasts would have to do.

"But which one to use?" Madara muttered as he looked at a scroll held on the wall adjacent to the one he set on fire. Depicted on it was a detailed diagram of the other Tailed Beasts that contained information on their skills and their locations. After the Fox had seemingly vanished, the ninja villages had begun taking closer tabs on the other beasts so they wouldn't be taken unawares. The next obvious choice for him to go after would be the Eight Tails in terms of power…but perhaps one of the others could work as well if they complimented his abilities well enough.

After staring at the diagram and their stats for over an hour, the Uchiha made up his mind. Turning to the door of his hideout, the man paused to grab his war fan before heading out. "May the hunt begin," Madara grinned maliciously as his Sharingan morphed into their next stage.

It was these two decisions that would forever alter the fate of one Naruto Uzumaki.

 **AN2:** Alright, so this is the prologue for the challenge series. Next chapter will have the One Tail, then Two and so on. Just as a reminder that while this prologue is the default beginning for the other parts of the chapter, it is no guarantee and I will mention at the beginning of the chapter if its origin is different. I hope you all enjoy reading this as I did writing it. I'm going to work on one more challenge story for my Naruto/DBZ crossover challenge, then one of my main stories, and finally this again. Hopefully I'll have it up by August, but until then let me know if you have any ideas. Please _**READ, REVIEW, and ENJOY!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**1 Tail**

Naruto glared at Sasuke as the two former teammates stood on the opposing statue's heads. After a long, grueling chase, the blonde had finally caught up with his friend/rival at the Valley of the End. He then suppressed a wince when the obnoxiously loud voice cackled in the back of his head.

" **GAHAHAHAHAAAA! Finally! I thought you'd never catch up to the prick! C'mon blondie, let me out so I can rip the Uchiha limb from limb!"** The voice of the One Tailed Beast, Shukaku crowed.

Naruto felt his eye twitch as he thought back, 'Oh great, its you. And no, you damn tanuki, I'm not letting you out!'

The blonde could honestly _feel_ the One Tail pouting about not being able to eviscerate Sasuke. **"Aww! Why not!?"**

'A) Because I know you'd probably highjack my body and do who knows what to my village and friends. B) I promised Sakura I'd bring Sasuke back, and not as a corpse! And C) He's my friend, and I won't send a psychopath like you after him!' Naruto thought back viciously.

"… **You never let me have any fun, you know that yah dumb shorty? I mean, you don't even talk to me for twelve years…"**

'I didn't even know you were sealed in me for most of that time!'

" **And when you do finally meet me, you insult me! I mean, I've got feelings too! And being called a dumb, fat ass raccoon really hurts!"**

'I only called you that because you tried to claw me to death!'

" **Yeah! TRIED! Anyway, you don't wanna hang out with me, I get it. But why so set on bringing back Duck-Butt McEmoPants over there? Because he's your 'friend'? Blondie, the way you two act from what I've seen makes me and my one brother's relationship look tame, and we HATE each other! And as for that pink haired howler monkey you have the misfortune of calling a teammate, since when do you owe her** _ **anything**_ **? She basically punches you every time you end up having a conversation! Granted, I give her kudos for doing what I can't to your annoying ass, but still! And as for that village of yours? What have they ever done for you besides make you feel like an outcast? I'd be doing you a favor by making that place my own personal sand box!"**

'You know what, for someone who's literally been with me since the day I was born, you don't know me at all. You should know by now that I never give up, and even if Sasuke and I are rivals, we're still friends. If you can't understand why I do what I do, then just stay out of my way and let me concentrate! I have a friend that I need to save.'

" **Tch, fine. Be that way. Oh, and you might want to DODGE!"** Shukaku shouted at the end.

'Dodge wha-?' Naruto thought right before he got a foot to the face, courtesy of an attacking Sasuke.

Naruto skidded back several feet, wincing in pain as his face seemed to crack. After watching Neji's use of Rotation during the Chunin Exams, Naruto had thought on new ways of defending himself. When he found out that the Rotation is partially caused by coating the body in a layer of chakra, the blonde jinchuriki had gotten the idea of coating his body in a translucent layer of sand before battle. Granted, it Armor slowed him down though, Naruto decided that when fighting to only use it to cover his vital areas, namely his head and torso. This freed up his arms and legs but also left them vulnerable. Still, it took less time to set up then a full Sand Shield.

Shukaku meanwhile was laughing his sandy ass off. **"HA! While time slows during our little heart to hearts, it doesn't stop completely, idiot!"**

'You could have told me that he was attacking sooner, ya'know!' Naruto snapped back.

" **I thought you didn't want my help,"** Shukaku stated in a fake innocent tone. He then gained a rare, serious expression. **"Seriously though kid, my life is on the line too. If it looks like you're getting in over your head, I'm stepping in. I don't want a repeat of the fight between the snake tranny and his geek sidekick."**

'…Fine, but only if things get too serious. And no killing!' he finished with a warning tone.

" **Spoilsport."**

"What's wrong, dobe? I thought you were going to 'drag me back'? Well, come get me then!" Sasuke taunted.

"Here I go!" Naruto growled as he charged at his rival.

The two went into an intense taijutsu match, with Sasuke having a slight advantage thanks to his slightly superior speed. The opponents broke away after Sasuke managed to land an elbow in Naruto's gut while the blonde himself slugged his former teammate in the face. Taking the momentary reprieve, Naruto whipped out two scrolls he was carrying in his back pockets. Quickly unraveling them, Naruto channeled his chakra into the storage seals and released around 200 pounds of sand he had stored.

Sasuke smirked when he saw the sand. "Already pulling out the ninjutsu, eh? Very well, I shall oblige you," he stated before his hands went through a flurry of seals.

Naruto went through his own set of hand seals before slamming them into the ground just as Sasuke cried out, "Fire Style, Fireball Jutsu!"

"Sand Barrier!" Naruto declared as the sand formed a ten foot wall that blocked the incoming fireball. Flipping through another set of hand seals, Naruto slammed his hands into the barrier and shouted, "Sand Shuriken!" This caused baseball sized clumps of sand to shoot out of the barrier right at Sasuke with high speed.

Nimbly, Sasuke ducked and weaved between the sand onslaught as he got closer and closer to the barrier. Just as he reached the barrier, however, the barrage stopped and out of the barrier burst five Naruto clones. Three where Sand Clones and the other two were Shadow Clones. Sasuke was able to take on all five at once for a minute before leaping out of the way. The clones attempted to follow but found themselves tangled in the ninja wire Sasuke had planted as they fought. Channeling his lightning chakra into the wires, Sasuke caused all five clones to dispel, or in the Sand Clones case, dissolve into piles of sand.

"Is that the best you can do?" Sasuke taunted aloud, "I haven't even had to use my Sharingan yet!"

"Then how's this?!" Naruto cried as he and six more clones popped out of the ground, each breathing in deeply before slamming their fists into their guts. "Wind Style, Wind Bullet Barrage!"

Concentrated blasts of air caught Sasuke from all sides, causing him to go up into the air before being replaced by a log, showing he had used Substitution. "Fire Style, Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Sasuke's voice rang out as a smaller fireball hit each of the Narutos, causing the clones to dispel and the real one to go stumbling back with a slight burn on his orange jumpsuit.

Naruto quickly recovered before going through hand seals once more and slamming his hands onto the ground. "Ant Lion Trap!" Naruto declared as the surrounding ground turned into sand and began do draw Sasuke in. However, the Uchiha used a kunai with wire attached to the string as a makeshift grappling hook to stab a nearby tree and pull himself to safety. Sasuke turned to glare at his raccoon eyed teammate before going through a familiar set of hand seals, the Chidori sparking to life in his hands. Seeing the assassination technique, Naruto formed a Rasengan in his hand while using some spare sand to help form it (1).

The two charged at each other with their attacks meeting midair. The powerful techniques struggled against one another until the backlash of power forced the two apart, both landing in the river the Valley had through it. Using Water Walking, the rivals pulled themselves out of the water while panting. Sasuke recovered first and black markings from his Curse Mark started to spread over his body.

"You know Naruto, when two first-class ninja meet in battle, you can only read each other's minds when your fists meet? There is no need for words. So…can you read the true mind? My mind!" Sasuke declared as he fired another Phoenix Flower at the jinchuriki. Naruto dodged out of the way, only for Sasuke to intercept him with a spinning kick. Naruto tried to condense his Sand Armor to strengthen his defense, but noticed it was moving slower than normal. As a result, the kick connected full force and sent Naruto flying.

'Of course,' Naruto thought through the pain, 'the water we're surrounded on and is covering me severely limit my Sand Jutsus. Dammit!'

The second the blonde landed further into the river, Sasuke was upon him. Thanks to the enhanced speed granted to him by the Curse Mark, Sasuke was able to land blow after punishing blow on Naruto with the blond barely able to defend himself. Finally, Sasuke seemed to have enough and picked his rival up by the scruff of his jumpsuit. Another Chidori sprang to life in his free hand. Just as his wayward friend was about to land the finishing blow on him, however, Naruto's chakra started to turn a darker color as his blue eyes became yellow with a star shaped pattern in them.

Blood splattered the ground, and it was revealed that Sasuke's Chidori pierced Naruto's right shoulder. Sasuke pulled out his hand with a squelch. "You moved at the last second, preventing me from piercing your heart. I was able to get your right lung and cripple your arm though. It's over," Sasuke finished as he reached up to the blonde's unprotected throat.

However, the seemingly unconscious blonde's hand reached up and grabbed Sasuke's arm. "Wha-?!" Sasuke was about to ask before he noticed that the sand from the shoreline was drifting over Naruto, laying on him thickly. Before he could question this, he winced in pain and noticed that the arm holding his hand back had become a large, sand colored claw with blue markings tattooing its surface. As the claw increased its pressure, Sasuke jerked his whole body back to free himself and put as much distance as he could between himself and the transforming boy.

Sasuke could only watch in shock as the sand began to build more and more, covering his rival's entire right side. His arm was now fully coated in the claw/sand whereas his face was now half covered, the covered half looking almost like that of a monstrous tanuki. With his Sharingan, Sasuke took a step back as Naruto's chakra kept on rising higher and higher, taking on the form of some great beast behind him. Naruto's head snapped up, showing both of his eyes were now yellow like they were before, and the whites had turned pitch black. Out of his left eye, a trail of tears could be seen as the sand began to form around the puncture wound, closing it.

"Sasuke!" Naruto snarled in a much more demonic sounding voice, "You won't go to Orochimaru! Even if I have to break your arms and legs, I will stop you!"

" **You're welcome, blondie,"** Shukaku's goading voice sounded within Naruto's mind. **"Still think that Uchiha prick is your friend? I mean, he did just try to kill you!"**

'…I'm bringing him back, no matter what!' Naruto thought resolutely. '…Thanks though Shukaku, you saved me back there.'

The psychotic Tailed Beast's eyes widened momentarily at this before he schooled his features. **"Tch, don't get used to it, brat. I don't feel like dying today 'cause of your dumbass. Now teach this dickhead why he shouldn't mess with the host of the Mighty Shukaku!"**

Naruto didn't reply, he just roared a challenge to Sasuke as he began to sweat in fear. Gulping down his anxiety, the Uchiha asked, "What the hell…are you?"

"A friend," Naruto responded sincerely, a surprising melancholy look overtaking his half demonic face. "That's why…I say I won't give you up to Orochimaru!"

With that, Naruto shot towards his former teammate like a rocket, his transformed arm swinging down and easily breaking through Sasuke's guard. The blow sent Sasuke flipping across the water's surface, only to find his self-proclaimed friend bearing down on him. Casting some quick hand seals, Sasuke sent a large fireball right at him. Before it could connect, however, a sand colored tanuki tail sprouted from the blonde's spine and knocked it away like a baseball. Sasuke barely had time to blink before a flurry of blows assaulted his person. Some coming from a human fist, the rest coming from sandy limbs. Sasuke suddenly felt himself slamming into one of the Valley's walls, a stretched out sandy claw pinning him there.

Naruto glared up at his friend from his position. "Wake up already! If you're still not sure, I'll break you like a stick and drag you back home!"

Sasuke suddenly began chuckling through the blood in his mouth. "Shut the hell up. What do you know about me? Someone like you without family or siblings has no right to judge me! You had nothing in the first place, so how could you understand?! HUH?!" he screamed as he charged the claw with lightning chakra, forcing the appendage to let him go. "We suffer because of our bonds! You don't know how it feels to lose them!" Sasuke panted at the end of this as Naruto looked down in contemplation.

"I don't understand about real families and brothers," Naruto began quietly, yet Sasuke could hear him perfectly. "But, when I'm with Iruka-sensei, I wonder if it feels like being with a father. When I'm with you…I wonder…if it's like being with a brother."

Sasuke looked at him in surprise before asking, "Why? Why do you go this far for me?"

Naruto smiled, which might look ghastly on his mutated face, but surprisingly seemed gentle, and stated, "For me, it's one of the first bonds I've ever had. And that's why, I must stop you!"

Sasuke stood still at this, his eyes closed. Then, he reached into his pocket and tied on his Leaf headband. As he did so, his two point Sharingan became three. "Then come, Naruto. I will break that bond! For someone who knows the pain of loneliness as I do, I will acknowledge that you are strong. And because of pain making a person stronger, by severing these bonds, I will gain even more strength. From now on, we will fight as equals. But, you will not be able to land a scratch on my forehead. Hat much hasn't changed."

Naruto got ready to speak, but Sasuke interrupted him. "The time for talking is over. From now on, we only fight. Come."

With that, Naruto sped forward with his increased speed. However, with his newly evolved Sharingan, Sasuke was able to predict his moves and easily dodged the blonde's wild blows. He then leapt forward and landed a strong left hook on Naruto's unprotected cheek. Sasuke then began to deliver attack after attack on the boy, each one managing to go around Naruto's defenses and land on his uncovered side. However, just when it looked like Sasuke had Naruto on the ropes, a tidal wave of sand shot out from the shore towards the two. Sasuke leapt out of the way as the sand converged on Naruto.

Within Naruto's mind, he heard Shukau say, **"Okay kid, you tried playing nice and you got the snot beat out of yah. Now it's no more Mr. Nice Jinchuriki!"** And more and more of the tanuki's chakra began flooding his system.

The sand surrounding the boy in the real world began to condense and take shape. When the dust settled, Sasuke's eyes widened in shock at his former teammate. Or, more specifically, what his former teammate had become. Gone was Konoha's Number One Unpredictable Knuckleheaded Ninja, instead what stood in its place could be only labeled in one word: monster. The being looked like a demented tanuki made out of sand that had intricate blue markings covering its bulky form. The only thing that distinguished it as the boy from before was the mop of spikey blonde hair poking from the top of its head (2).

"Na-Naruto?" Sasuke stuttered hesitantly. He then remembered when his brother had come to take the loudmouth a few weeks back. 'Is this…what made that man so interested in him? Some kind of special power?' he wondered.

Naruto meanwhile clenched his now clawed hands and exhaled through his mouth, almost as if he was getting ready for an intense workout. He drew both arms close to his body before swinging them in a large arc. "Sand Shuriken!" he roared as multiple bullets made of sand shot from his arms and hurtled towards Sasuke.

Thanks to his newly evolved Sharingan, Sasuke was able to dodge the projectiles. However, he was caught off guard when he landed only to find his leg firmly grasped in Naruto's hand, which had stretched out all the way to where he had landed. With a powerful jerk, the transformed blonde began beating Sasuke against the valley's stone walls like a drum, causing the avenger to cough up blood from the damage. Acting fast, Sasuke took out a kunai and sliced the clawed limb off his leg. This gave him a momentary reprieve as he landed, struggling for breath as a new hand formed from the end of Naruto's severed limb. Suddenly, the possessed boy seemed to vanish before Sasuke's eyes! Thanks to his Sharingan, Sasuke could see the path Naruto was running towards him, but despite his extra bulk, Naruto was moving too fast for Sasuke's body to keep up. This lead to Naruto delivering a beat down on the Uchiha, resulting in cracking bones and bruised flesh. Naruto even formed extra limbs out of the sand on his arms to increase the number of punches connecting with his former teammate.

Having enough, Sasuke was able to regather his senses to launch a chakra enhanced kick into Naruto's now slightly bulging stomach. However, instead of knocking the wind out of the Uzumaki, the foot and leg sank into the stomach like if one was punching the beach. Seeing his leg was trapped, Sasuke began running through hand seals to form another Fireball in order to force Naruto to release him. At the same time, however, Naruto began to inhale deeply through his mouth as smaller mouths began appearing all over the boy's sand body, increasing the amount of air inhaled. The two unleashed their respective attacks simultaneously.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

"Wind Style: Sandstorm Devastation!"

The two attacks met in the middle and, while normally a wind attack would empower a fire attack, this wind attack had trace amounts of sand in it, allowing the earth nature element to bypass the fire and cause the wind attack to hit Sasuke full force. Sasuke screamed as the hurricane force winds ripped him from his current position and caused him to crash into the valley's wall, forming a crater.

Sasuke laid still for a minute, and Naruto dared hope for a moment that he was knocked out and that they could end this ridiculous fight. Then, Sasuke began laughing. It started as a low chuckled at first before evolving up to a full blown maniacal laugh as dark marks began spreading across his body. As he accepted the Curse Mark's power, Sasuke's skin began taking on a brownish gray color while his hair turned white. A large star shape formed on the bridge of his nose and the whites of his eyes turned black. Finally, two massive, hand shaped wings formed on his back.

"Heh, I'm not even hurt," Sasuke bragged as he pulled himself from the crater. Smirking at Naruto with darkened lips, he continued, "Naruto, you were 'special', but I'm more special than you!"

Naruto grunted at that and said in his slightly warped voice, "'Special'? Whatever, you talk too much!"

He then charged at Sasuke once more with speeds belying his bulk. Enlarging his sandy fist, Naruto sent a haymaker Sasuke's way, but the now transformed deserter blocked the attack with a hand-wing. The force of the blow caused the two to separate towards opposite ends of the Valley, Naruto at the base of the First Hokage's statue while Sasuke was at the bottom of Madara Uchiha's statue. The two glared at each other before they both winced, their newly awakened forms taking their toll on their bodies. The Curse Mark Level 2 was beginning to corrode Sasuke's body while Naruto was beginning to struggle maintaining the miniature Shukaku form while holding back the One Tail's darker impulses.

Sasuke, seeing his rival's discomfort, noted, "That power of yours too…of course there was a risk…" he then gained a melancholy look as he looked at their surroundings. "Do you know," he said to Naruto, "this place is called the 'Valley of the End', the country border? This is the perfect setting, isn't it, Naruto?" When he saw that the blonde wasn't going to answer, he chuckled. "Yes…that's right. Like I said, the time for talk is over. Well, let's finally end this battle…AND ALL THE OTHER ONES UNTIL NOW!"

With that, Sasuke ran through a set of familiar hand seals until the Chidori formed on his left hand, however the lighting was black thanks to the corruption of the Curse Seal. Naruto, in response, held up his right claw and his chakra began swirling in his palm, as well as a miniature cyclone of sand surrounding it. At some unknown signal, the two friends charged at each other, attacks prepped.

"NARUTOOOOO!"

"SASUKEEEEE!"

The two attacks collided, and there was an epic explosion as the friends clashed. A protective shell of chakra formed around the two boys, and inside of the shell Naruto aimed for Sasuke's head while Sasuke knifed at Naruto's chest. Sasuke's hand sank into the sand covering, hitting flesh, whereas Naruto just swiped a claw at Sasuke's forehead, scratching his headband. There was a blinding flash of light then…nothing.

Sasuke panted as he stared down at Naruto's unconscious form, both boy's now in human form. He remained silent, even as his scratched headband fell from his head next to his downed rival. Rain had started to fall, and Sasuke looked up at the sky with a melancholy look. He then winced in pain as he was forced to his knees, his earlier injuries taking their toll. The two boys remained stationary like that for what felt like an eternity before Sasuke managed to get back on his feet.

"…Later," he muttered as he started to walk away. It started to become more difficult to move, however, and with a frown, Sasuke looked down at his legs. What he saw shocked him, as damp sand had managed to climb up his legs and trapped him in place! "What?!" he gasped in shock.

"I…told you…Sasuke," a pained groan sounded behind him and the Uchiha hesitantly turned his head, only to see that Naruto was now awake and was slowly getting up, wincing in pain from his twice pierced shoulder. "I'm...taking you…back…And I never…go back on my word," he finished with a pained smile.

As the wet sand worked its way further and further up his body, fully trapping him, Sasuke croaked weakly, "H-how? How are you still able to fight?!"

Naruto kept his smile as he gestured to the clumps of wet sand surrounding him, the remains of his Shukaku form. He explained, "When your hand stabbed my armor, I used the sand to both slow your blow and redirect it so it'd only make a shallow cut in an area you already stabbed before."

He then wiped the blood away from his shoulder, showing the cut was a lot shallower than what the Uchiha had intended, making it more of a grazing shot. Both the placement and the blood though had made Sasuke think he had landed a devastating knockout blow, but in reality it wasn't much worse than a bad paper cut.

"D-dammit," Sasuke grunted as the sand trapping him shifted, starting to travel to his face. Before it covered his nose and mouth, knocking him unconscious, Sasuke looked at his rival/friend and gave a smile. Not one that promised revenge or a condescending smirk, but a genuine smile. "I guess…you win, Naruto," he muttered before the sand covered him and unconsciousness took him.

Just as Naruto removed the sand from Sasuke's face so he could breathe once more, Pakkun and Kakashi jumped into the area. Naruto turned to his sensei and gave the man a tired thumbs up. "Hey Kakashi sensei, I did it," he managed to say before the remainder of his strength failed him and he started to collapse. Before he fell though, he found himself being gently supported by Kakashi and being placed on his back.

"That you did, Naruto," he turned and gave his student an eye-smile, "And I couldn't be prouder, my cute little genin!"

Over with Sasuke, a Shadow Clone of Kakashi was releasing him from the sand and was now carrying him on its back, though not before securing the boy's hands and legs in rope. Seeing that both his charges were secure, Kakashi announced, "Let's go back to the village."

And with that, the group left the clearing as the sun peaked through the rainclouds, shining the path they took.

1\. I figured this'd be a cool way for a sand controlling Naruto to form the Rasengan without needing to form a clone. Also, his chakra reserves are slightly lower, so his control is a bit better as a result.

2\. Think Gaara's possessed form right before he fully transformed into Shukaku, minus the little twig legs sticking out and with Naruto's hair.

 **Naruto Uzumaki:** Host of the One Tail Shukaku. This not only boosts Naruto's already strong Wind affinity, but also gives him rudimentary control over sand as well. Due to the fact the Land of Fire has so few sand based areas, Naruto usually has to make it as he goes and has a decent quantity stored in storage seals that he keeps on him at all times. Unlike Gaara though, his sand isn't automatic due to the fact Gaara's protective sand is based on his mother's will to protect her son. Instead, Naruto has to physically perform the jutsu that, while powerful, limit some of its usefulness. As such, Naruto prefers to use Wind jutsu. In addition, thanks to being born to the previous One Tailed jinchuriki, he has permanent shadows around his eyes like a tanuki (as opposed to whisker marks, like Gaara).

His teammates are Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, teacher is Kakashi Hatake. Thanks to his seal being much stronger than Gaara's was, Naruto can sleep without being bothered by Shukaku. However, after meeting the Tailed Beast during the month training for the Chunin Exams, it allows the tanuki to talk to the blonde whenever he lets his guard down, something the One Tail takes immense pleasure in just to taunt his host. The blonde, in retaliation, bugs Shukaku in any way he can which gives the two a begrudging respect towards each other. Unlike what most people think, instead of Shukaku's Tailed Beast Cloak just being a result of Kishimoto doing an early version before deciding on what to do for the jinchuriki, is actually a result of Shukaku having only one tail, so he doesn't need the different tail stages before immediately starting to form. Instead, his cloak's stages depend on how much of his sand body his host summons.

As for Gaara in this universe, he is either the host of a different Tailed Beast thanks to Hidden Sand demanding compensation for Madara's actions (either 2-7 Tails), or is a pseudo jinchuriki formed by Hidden Sand taking the residual chakra the seal that held Shukaku had before being stolen.


	3. Chapter 3

**2 Tails**

In one of the alleyways of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, a boy of about four years old shivered as he used an old towel he found in a dumpster as a makeshift blanket. The boy was somewhat short for his age and had sun blonde hair that spiked in all directions, yet it was darkened by the dirt from the alley he was forced to be called his temporary home. The boy had heterochromia, with one eye being a sky blue and the other being a molten gold color. He also wore shorts and a T-shirt, clothing that while suitable for the day, wasn't good for a Land of Fire night in the Fall. This boy's name is Naruto Uzumaki.

Earlier that same day had been just like any other with him waking up in the orphanage he had been living in since the day he was born exactly four years ago. It was his birthday, yet unlike other children this day did not fill him with joy, more of a sense of melancholy. For you see, the day he was born was the day some great disaster had befallen the village he called home, and the mood in the village was never a happy one. In fact, people seemed even colder towards him than usual. What this disaster was, he wasn't sure as most adults avoided talking to him and the handful that could stand being in his presence said they would tell him when he was older. All he knew was that it must have had something to do with fire, as there were many buildings in the village that were still rebuilding from fire damage. Some had just been condemned and were burnt out shells of former buildings that people were forbidden to approach, yet some kids, himself included, would attempt to sneak into them on a dare.

This birthday seemed extra hard because during the night, someone had placed graffiti all over the front of the orphanage. Naruto, who was still learning his alphabet, couldn't make out what the words said but he did see that there was a crude depiction of what looked like cats involved. Somehow, the young boy knew this involved him somehow and he was proven correct when the head of the orphanage called him to his office that afternoon. He had explained to the boy that, due to unforeseen circumstances, they could no longer house him at the orphanage. When the boy asked where he should go, the man suggested that he ask the Hokage for a new place to stay. Naruto knew the Hokage as that old man who'd come by from time to time and was one of the few adults who really gave the boy anything resembling love and affection. So, with that in mind, Naruto packed his few belongings and headed out to find the old man.

As previously stated though, Naruto was a four year old boy who just barely understood the way of the world. While he did know that most adults didn't seem to like him for some reason, and kept their children away from him whenever he wanted to play, he never really knew how much that dislike extended until this day. After an hour of searching for the old man, Naruto had enough sense to ask around to see if someone could point him in the right direction. However, all the adults he saw would avoid him like he had the plague, and cast him cold glares that discouraged him from further trying. Normally, he'd ask one of those people in the animal masks if they knew where the Hokage was, but for some reason he couldn't find them today (1). And so he pressed on until the sun started to set and the streets became more and more deserted.

Normally, the Land of Fire had a fairly warm climate, but during the Fall and Winter months, the nights tended to have biting, bitter winds. So Naruto decided that he wasn't going to make any progress today and decided that he should find shelter for the night. Since he didn't have any money to his name, and no close friends to speak of, Naruto looked for a possible shelter outside. This brings us to the present, with Naruto huddled in an alley on top of some old newspapers as a mattress and a dirty towel as a blanket.

Shuddering from the cold once more, Naruto drifted off into an uneasy slumber. His last conscious thought was, 'I wish there was someone who loved me.'

When he awoke, Naruto noticed that for some reason, he was no longer cold. In fact, he was quite toasty. Thinking it was daytime, he looked around but was surprised to find that he wasn't in the alleyway he'd fallen asleep in. In fact, it wasn't in any place he recognized at all! The closest thing he could compare this place to was that blacksmith the orphanage had taken him and the other children to for a field trip about a month ago. The area smelled strongly of sulfur and had what looked to be giant forges poking out of the ground. What was strange though was that the fire coming from the oven like structures wasn't red, yellow, or orange, but a deep azure blue with flickers of black in it.

"Wha's dis place?" he asked aloud.

" **Hello little one,"** a deep yet distinctly female voice called out, causing the boy to jump with a yelp.

"W-who's there?" Naruto shouted, mentally wishing he sounded braver and more intimidating.

" **Don't be afraid,"** the voice said as if sensing his fear. **"Follow the sound of my voice. I have been wanting to meet you for a very long time."**

Hesitantly, Naruto complied since he had no better ideas. Walking in the direction the voice was coming from, he soon came upon what looked to be a giant furnace, easily twice the size of any building he had ever seen! The grate of the furnace was level with him and seemed to be locked by what looked to be a slip of paper. Within it, Naruto could see more blue and black flames, yet they were larger than the ones he'd seen in this strange place, nearly as big as the furnace itself.

" **Please, come closer,"** the voice asked in a calm tone.

Naruto creeped closer to the grate and was surprised to see the flame take shape. The inferno seemed to twist and warp, forming a feline shaped head with a gold and green pupilless eyes, paws that were easily bigger than a full grown man, and two whipping tails waving lazily behind the figure. The giant cat made of blue fire smiled, its mouth full of razor sharp fangs that, surprisingly, didn't seem to be made of flames themselves.

" **Hello Naruto,"** the two tailed cat greeted.

"H-hullo. Who you?" the boy asked, feeling smaller than usual in the presence of the giant cat.

The cat lowered itself to the ground, yet her (for the voice was that of a woman's) eye was still a good distance away from his own height. For some reason though, the smile the cat gave wasn't vicious, but almost seemed gentle. **"I am called the Nibi, or the Two Tailed Cat. Though you may call me Matatabi."**

Naruto, getting over his nervousness as the now named Matatabi didn't seem like she wanted to hurt him (and even if she did, she seemed to be locked in that furnace), gave a smile of his own and called out, "Pleased ta meet yah, Ms. Matatabi! (2)"

Matatabi gave a rumbling laugh, her fire danced with amusement. **"My, what a polite young fellow! Definitely more well behaved than my last host."**

"Host?" Naruto cocked his head at the unfamiliar word.

Matatabi waved the boy's question off with a flick of her tail. **"I'll tell you later. And you don't need to be so formal with me, Naruto. Now, I can tell you have questions."**

Naruto nodded as he looked around. "Where are we? I don't know dis place," he asked.

Matatabi gave a hum as she thought how best to word it to a four year old. **"Well, I guess you can say that this is all in your head."**

Naruto rubbed said body part as he repeated, "My head?"

" **More specifically, your mind or if you prefer, your imagination,"** the cat added helpfully.

"So…does this mean this isn't real? That you're not real?" Naruto asked and couldn't quite keep the disappointment out of his voice. Despite just meeting her and her not being human, the giant feline had been nice to him and hadn't made him feel unwanted, which already placed her above most of the villagers.

" **I'm as real as you are, Naruto,"** Matatabi assured the boy. **"We're just in your imagination right now, but even when if you leave I'll still be with you."**

"Does…does that mean you'll be my friend?" Naruto asked hopefully.

The cat seemed surprised at the request before her mismatched eyes softened. **"I would be happy to be your friend, Naruto. Now, why don't you come in here with me so we won't have these bars between us? I can't leave them, but you can enter and go as you please."**

"Okay!" Naruto cheered, still on a happiness high on finally making a friend. Naruto started to approach the bars before stopping, a piece of his common sense telling him something very important. "Um, Matatabi? You're made a' fire n' stuff…won't I get burned if I get too close?"

" **Don't worry Naruto, I can control the intensity of my flames. To you, they'll just feel like a warm summer breeze. It'll feel much better than the cold your body is actually feeling."**

Nodding, Naruto entered the furnace and, upon approaching the cat, noticed that the heat was just as she said. Instead of burning, he felt more like he was being covered by a warm blanket. Feeling a bit more daring, Naruto walked over and snuggled into one of Matatabi's forepaws. Unknown to the blonde, in the real world his body started heating up like if he had a fever, yet the heat didn't have any negative effect other than keeping the biting winds at bay.

"Dis is comfy," Naruto commented as he snuggled closer to the cat. A thought then occurred to him as he glanced around the more confined space. "Say…Matatabi? Why're you locked in here?"

The Two Tails gave a chuckle that to the trained ear would sound bitter. **"Well child, you can say that some bad people wanted to use my power, so some other people decided to lock me up for my own safety. And while I appreciate the thought, it is rather bothersome being kept prisoner here."**

"Can't I let you out?" Naruto asked innocently.

The cat's tails flicked in surprise at this, but after a moment's thought she answered, **"I appreciate it, Naruto, but for now it is probably safer for me to stay here. After all, one or more of those bad people I mentioned could still be out there."**

Naruto puffed himself up to look more impressive and boasted, "Don' worry Tabi! I'll protect you from the bad guys!"

Matatabi gave a purring laugh at that. Truly, she had an interesting host this time. **"Of that I don't doubt. However, it would be best if you were older and stronger before you try something like that."**

Naruto seemed to deflate at that as he sunk against her paw. "Okay," he murmured before trying to stifle a yawn.

" **Sounds like somebody's tired,"** Matatabi laughed. **"Go to sleep, Naruto. We'll talk more when you're awake."**

Naruto made to reply, but he was already out the second Matatabi finished talking, curling up against the azure flames like a little kitten.

When Naruto woke up, he found himself on a couch in an unfamiliar office. 'Was it all a dream?' he wondered.

" **It might have been, but does that make it any less real?"** a familiar voice echoed in his mind. Naruto was about to exclaim, when Matatabi's voice called out, **"Whenever we talk like this you just need to think what you want to say. No need to talk out loud, Naruto."**

'Matatabi? Where are you? Where am I?' he thought.

" **I'm still in your mind, Naruto. I can speak to you now though because we were able to actually meet. As to where you are, I have a feeling you're going to find out right about…now."**

When the cat finished speaking, the door to the office opened up and the Hokage walked in, smiling at the boy he treated as a surrogate grandson.

"Gramps!" Naruto called out happily, but before he could continue he heard Matatabi speaking in his mind again.

" **For now, Naruto, it's best you don't mention me to anyone. I'll tell you why later, but for now you'll just have to trust me."**

Giving a mental nod, Naruto turned his attention back to the Third, who said, "Ah, Naruto you're awake. I'm glad to see you unhurt my boy. When I found out what happened, I had some of my best ninja go looking for you. Tell me, how are you feeling?"

Thinking of his new best friend that he had met, Naruto grinned, "I feel great! (3)"

It was a new day for one Naruto Uzumaki!

1\. The Anbu weren't expecting him to leave the orphanage, and thus didn't see him leave. Needless to say, the Third handed out a lot of discipline that day.

2\. This is before Naruto fully developed his 'I don't give a crap' attitude, so he's a bit better behaved now than his canon counterpart.

3\. Just a fun little shout out to Tony the Tiger at the end there XD

 **Naruto Uzumaki**

Host to the Two Tailed Demon Cat, Naruto Uzumaki was born with a strong affinity to fire (and a small affinity for wind) along with two different colored eyes. With Matatabi's teachings later in life, Naruto would learn great flame control, and with practice can lengthen his nails into tanto length claws. Matatabi, who is one of the more mellow Tailed Beasts, has an almost maternal relationship with Naruto, and the boy even starts calling her aunty after learning how she had been previously housed by his mother. The two have a strong bond, and Naruto can transform into a male version of her by the time he reaches Genin. Under her guidance, Naruto becomes a strong and capable shinobi earlier then his canon counterpart.


	4. Chapter 4

**3 Tails**

 **AN:** Here is another chapter of what I hope will be one of my best challenge story groups to date! Came later than I would have hoped, but with the holiday madness behind me I plan on working more on those challenges I promised before getting back to my main stories sometime withing the next couple of months. This isn't my best chapter, but hopefully will be enjoyable nonetheless. Now before we begin, a little context into this chapter. Unlike the previous two chapters and the ones following this one, this chapter will have a different prelude to that of my prologue chapter. The basis of this story is as follows:

 _When Tobi went to attack Konoha during Naruto's birth, he decided against using the Kyuubi. He knew that with Minato around, chances were slim he'd be able to successfully get Kushina away from him long enough to do enough damage for his goals, so he decided on a different approach. And what could be more ironic, then using the Tailed Beast that, in his mind, ruined Obito's life to attack Konoha like it was originally intended? So, going to the area where Rin died, Tobi waited for the Sanbi to reform and captured him before any Mist shinobi could reseal the turtle._

 _Shortly after Naruto was born, Tobi unleashed the Sanbi in the middle of the Hidden Leaf. Both Tobi and Minato fought, with Minato being the victor and resealing the Three Tails into Naruto. The big difference? Both Minato and Kushina survived thanks to Kushina not having her Tailed Beast ripped from her and Minato didn't need to use the Reaper Death Seal to weaken Isobu. This means Naruto grew up with both parents and wasn't mistreated (though still looked down upon in the shadows since his sealing wasn't a secret)._

And before we begin, I wanted to address an issue I know a couple of you have been asking yourselves the last couple of challenges; why did Minato die when sealing in a weaker Tailed Beast? Because he wouldn't have needed to use the Reaper Death Seal to weaken them, now would he? Well, this is my response to that; perhaps Minato was mortally wounded in the fight against Tobi and died afterwards as a result of his wounds. Of course, it will all depend on who ends up adopting the story, now wouldn't it?

Anyway, this **CHALLENGE** is available for whoever wants to adopt it, so please let me know either by PM or Review is you're interested. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

A three year old Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze walked happily down the streets while holding on to his mother Kushina's hand. The reason he was so happy? He was going to his friend Hinata's third birthday today with his mom. His father Minato wanted to come, but he was busy with delegates from the Hidden Cloud on a possible peace treaty. It was decided earlier that week that, since the Fourth would be busy for the next day or two, Naruto would spend the day with his friend's at Hinata's birthday party and then would sleep over until the peace talks were over while Kushina and the other mothers would play chaperones.

Walking up to the Hyuuga Estate, the guards bowed when they saw that is was the Fourth's family who was arriving and allowed the two through. Going around back, Naruto saw that the other kids who had arrived and were already playing some games. Getting a nod from his mother, Naruto darted off to join. Due to being the village's leader, Naruto had met with the children of the Clan Heads and had made friends with pretty close to all of them. Out of all the kids he'd met, he was closest with the children of the Akamichi, Hyuuga, Inuzuka, Nara, and Uchiha clans.

Kushina couldn't help but smile at the cute scene before her as the children began a game of tag, with many of the rules being altered in a way that only the children playing could understand.

"Always great to see the children driving themselves crazy for once, eh Kushina?" Mikoto Uchiha asked jokingly as she walked up to her friend.

Kushina chuckled at the joke. "Well, I don't know about that, but it is always good to see Naruto playing with kids his own age. Thanks again for allowing little Sasuke meet with him, by the way."

Mikoto waved her hand. "Think nothing of it Shina. Kids should have a chance to be kids, after all."

Kushina's smile turned melancholy at this point. "Yeah…they should," she muttered. The redhead couldn't help but worry about her son's future. While the villagers weren't hostile towards her son (which they shouldn't least they face her and her husband's wrath), they weren't exactly the most welcoming either. Most of the time, they'd ignore the little ball of sunshine unless his parents were with him, and even then their interactions were somewhat strained. A part of Kushina could understand why they were like this. After all, unlike with her Naruto's jinchuriki status was known to most of the village and, with all the devastation the Three Tails caused only three years ago, they weren't exactly forthcoming with her son. She sometimes got the suspicion that if it wasn't for the faith the people placed on Minato, they'd probably scorn her baby boy to the point where he'd be isolated emotionally from everyone. Kushina hoped that someday they'd look past what Naruto held and saw him for who he really was, but knew that she couldn't force people to change their minds on the matter. That took time and patience (1).

"Hey," Mikoto interrupted her friend's inner turmoil. "I know that face Shina, but it's a party so relax and enjoy yourself for now. Any other problems can wait."

Kushina giggled at her friend's 'pep talk' but complied and grabbed a cup of tea as she continued to watch the children play. Little did she know that the problems were going to happen sooner than anyone thought.

Later that night, most of the other children had gone home with their families with a few staying over for a sleepover, Naruto being one of these children as Kushina went home after giving him a goodbye and promising her not to cause too much of a ruckus for the Hyuugas. It was a little past midnight when a shadowy figure crept into the room containing the children. The figure first crept over to Hinata, placing a gag over her mouth and tying up her arms and legs before she could even utter a sound. The figure then paused before moving over to Naruto and repeating the process. After the two children were secure, they were then both thrown into a sack that the figure then slung over his back and ran away with, leaving the room as if he nor his captives were ever there.

The two children, meanwhile, were very much awake and frightened at this point. Sure, they had both heard stories from their parents about things like kidnapping and the like from the past Shinobi Wars, but they were both tuned down considerably since both children were just that; kids. However, their current situation was no fairy tale. It was very real and very terrifying. The kids were placed so that they were facing each other, and even in the very limited lighting they could still make out each other's frightened faces. Naruto, seeing Hinata's pale eyes were tearing up, tried to put on a brave front and smile confidently at the girl, but the effort was in vain as he was trying very hard not to cry himself.

'Please, somebody…anybody…help us!' Naruto thought frantically.

" **And why should I?"** a deep voice seemed to echo in his mind.

'Huh?' Naruto thought in confusion. Suddenly, Naruto was no longer in a sack tied up next to Hinata, but in front of a cave of some sort. The cave looked to be made out of coral that formed bars in front of it like a cage. All around the cage were brightly colored seaweeds and artistic corals. It was then he realized an important detail: he was underwater!

'GAH!' Naruto mentally screamed as he quickly covered his mouth and nose in an attempt to prevent himself from drowning. He held this position for a good minute before his face grew blue from the effort of holding his breath and gasped out, fully expecting to drown.

However, as he drew in lungful's of air, Naruto discovered that somehow he was able to breath underwater. "What the…?" the blonde muttered in confusion, then realizing that he could also speak despite the fact that it should have been impossible for him to do underwater. "Am I dreaming?" Naruto wondered.

" **This is no dream, child,"** the voice from before boomed.

Turning his attention back to the cave, Naruto couldn't help but gasp as he saw a single red eye glare out from the shadows. The eye itself was larger than he was, maybe even larger than either of his parents! Shortly after, a face followed behind the eye. It was somewhat human in appearance, but was gray in color and had spikey protrusions coming from both its lower jaw and on the top of its head in a manner not unlike a beard and hair. Following behind the head was a shelled body that looked like a mix of a crap and a turtle's, and had two human like arms protruding from it as well as three shrimplike tails flowing behind it.

"Who…are you?" Naruto asked, his young mind making him more awed then terrified of the aquatic behemoth before him.

" **I? I'm surprised your parents haven't told you about me yet. Very well, I am known as the Three Tails, the Sanbi!"** the now identified Sanbi introduced himself.

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Sanbi! My name's Naruto Namikaze!" Naruto greeted, bowing to the turtle Bijuu.

The Sanbi blinked, taken aback by the different response than what he was expecting. **"Um, aren't you supposed to be scared, kid?"**

Naruto cocked his head. "No, should I?"

The Tailed Beast just shook his head. **"Never mind."**

Naruto seemed to want to question him further, but then shrugged. Looking around at the underwater cave, Naruto asked, "Um, Mr. Sanbi? Where are we, and why can I breathe if I'm under water?"

Despite his mistrust regarding humans, the Three Tails decided to humor the child as this was the first civil conversation he's had with a sentient being in nearly a century. Even Tailed Beasts get lonely at times! The Sanbi rumbled, **"The answer goes to both of your questions is the same; we're inside your mind."**

"My mind? You mean we're inside my head?" Naruto questioned while trying to look up at his forehead, as if he was trying to see how they could be in there.

The turtle sweatdropped when he saw this and said, **"Well, yes and no. I guess the easiest way to explain it is this place is kind of like you're imagination, except it's all very real in its own way."**

Naruto nodded at this, the simplified explanation working for his youthful understanding. "Okay…why am I here though? And, why are you here?"

The Sanbi's eye narrowed as if recalling an unpleasant memory. **"I'm here because you humans always see us as weapons of war and try to use our power to wage even more war against each other. And as to why you're here, you're most likely in a situation that requires my aid and the way the seal was set up it brought you here to ask for my aid. Not that I'll give it,"** he finished with a grumble.

While most of what the titan said went over his head, Naruto was able to piece together certain parts of the beast's rant. "Oh crap, that's right! Me and Hinata were taken by that creepy guy! What do I do?!" Naruto shouted in panic while gripping his hair like it was a lifeline.

Sanbi snorted as he rested his enormous head on his arms. **"Hmph, sounds like a personal problem. Anyway, go away kid. I'm tired and your presence irks me."**

The titanic turtle closed his one open eye to fall asleep, but his attention was soon brought back to his host when the blonde brat shouted out, "Hey! You're strong, right?!"

The Sanbi's eye cracked open as he snorted, **"Kid, I'll admit that while I'm far from the strongest of my siblings, the strength I have compared to you or even a regular shinobi is nothing short of phenomenal."** Noticing Naruto's blank expression at the unfamiliar word, he deadpanned, **"Yes, I'm very strong."**

Naruto nodded in understanding before steeling his expression and exclaimed, "Then please, help my friend!" He then bowed his head respectfully.

The Three Tail lifted his impressive bulk up, towering over the whiskered boy as he stated, **"Did you not hear me earlier brat? I said I wasn't going to give you my aid! Not to you, and certainly not to a random human as well!"** With that, he sent out a wave of Killing Intent and roared, **"NOW LEAVE! Before I stop being polite."**

Naruto staggered back as the wave of Killing Intent washed over him, causing him to see his death multiple times. A full grown adult would have been sent running from such a feeling if not knocked out instantly, let alone what a small child would have felt. However, there was one thing to know about Naruto: He's always unpredictable. Instead of passing out, trying to run away, wetting his pants, or some combination of the three, Naruto was able to regain his footing and stared back at the Sanbi's red eye with a defiant expression, much to the turtle's surprise.

The Tailed Beast quickly regained his composure and sneered, **"Impressive brat, but you better listen-"**

"No, YOU better listen!" Naruto snapped, cutting off the turtle's potential tirade. "I don't care what the problem is you have with me or humans in general, the fact is that you're the only one capable of helping me save my friend! So either help me or get out of my way, otherwise I'm going to beat the shell off of you!" Naruto finished while getting into a sloppy taijutsu stance.

The Sanbi blinked. He then blinked again. Then, he leaned his head back and gave out a deep rumble of laughter that sounded like ocean waves striking a rocky beach. This went on for what felt like hours before looking back down at the boy, though amusement was still present on his large face.

" **You have moxie kid. I like that. Tell you what, I'll give you a decent sized chunk of my power, more than you'd normally be able to handle at your current level. If you're able to avoid immediately dying or losing your mind, then I'll consider helping you and your little friend. Agreed?"** He smirked as he held out a pinkie finger the size of two grown men.

With a look of pure determination, Naruto reached out and grasped the digit in an impromptu handshake. "Deal!"

The minute he grasped the finger, red chakra began seeping out of the cage containing the Sanbi. The chakra bubbled and rolled until it came to Naruto's position, where it then swirled around him. The minute the chakra touched his skin, Naruto had to bite his tongue to avoid screaming. The chakra felt extremely hot, hotter than that time he accidentally spilled hot tea on his hand, or that time he ate ramen right off the stove and burnt his mouth. The chakra became more and more dense when one, two, then three tails of the chakra sprang from his tailbone. Naruto could no longer hold back the scream as his skin began to literally peel off, mixing his blood in with the chakra and causing it to become a reddish black color. Naruto's screams developed into roars as he took a hunched position, looking like a human sized version of the Sanbi, growling in a beastly manner with his eyes becoming blank white disks.

The full sized turtle meanwhile shook his head in a bemused manner. **"It seems you were all talk after all kid. Shame, I was actually thinking you might have been able to back up that bravado from earlier. Oh well, guess I'll take back my chakra and-"**

"N-not done," a weak voice croaked out.

" **Eh?"** the Sanbi blinked as he looked down to the still cloaked Naruto, though the boy was now gripping his head and seemed to be struggling with himself.

"I-I-I'm not done yet!" Naruto grit out through a much stronger voice as he seemed to break out of the hold the corrupt chakra had on his mind.

" **Whoa,"** the Tailed Beast muttered in surprise as a child who wasn't even close to his teen years was able to overcome the bloodlust that came with using too much of a Tailed Beast's chakra. (2)

"I'm g-gonna...s-save my...f-friend," Naruto stuttered as he attempted to move under the intense strain his body was going through. He was actually able to make decent progress before the Sanbi gave a snap of his fingers and caused the chakra to retract. "Huh?" Naruto questioned as he stared at his now human hands.

" **That was just a taste of what you would experience should you use my power. Are you willing to use the real thing?"** the Sanbi asked neutrally.

Naruto looked to the turtle, his expression not wavering in the slightest. "I said it once and I'll say it again, I'm gonna save Hinata and there's nothing you nor anyone else will say to change my mind, believe it!"

The turtle stared impassively for a minute before grinning. **"Good answer. I have the feeling I'm actually going to enjoy being sealed in you kid! All right, I'll lend you my power so you can easily take that clueless human who kidnapped you down."**

Naruto smiled even as the red chakra began swirling again and his surroundings began to dim. "Thanks Mr. Sanbi, and my name's Naruto, Naruto Namikaze!"

The Sanbi chuckled. **"I'll remember that, and the name's Isobu, Naruto."**

 **Real World**

The Head Ninja smirked to himself as he snuck out of the Hyuuga Compound. It had been surprisingly easy to kidnap the two children despite being surrounded by a clan known for their 'all seeing' eyes. That was the problem with these tree huggers; in peace time, they relaxed their guard too much while they should have been building up their forces for the next war. This was why the Hidden Cloud was sure to come on top in the next war that would inevitably break out thanks to his actions this night. While the kidnapping of the Hyuuga heiress wasn't exactly sanctioned by the Raikage, many of the village's elders felt this would be the peace talks would be the perfect opportunity to strike a blow against the Leaf while simultaneously gaining a new bloodline for their military.

It was fortunate that the Fourth Hokage's child was also at the Compound at the time, as it would be a gift to the Raikage if he turned out to be less than pleased from the actions taken behind his back. A was still sore about his loss to the Yellow Flash during the war, and would most likely jump at the chance to get even with the man. The two would also prove to be valuable hostages if he was caught. Now, all he needed to do was get past any guards at the village's gate and he'd be home-huh?

The Head Ninja froze as an ominous feeling started seeping from the bag that contained the two children. It was a feeling every Cloud ninja has felt at one time or another; the chakra of a Tailed Beast. Quickly dropping the bag and leaping back, the Head Ninja could only stare as the bag began to deteriorate from the intense chakra being released. Once the bag was gone, two figures were shown. One of them was the heiress, staring wide-eyed at the being that held her. Though, instead of the child of the Yellow Flash, there was his worst fears confirmed: a Version Two cloaked jinchuriki with three swaying tails behind it.

The Cloud ninja gulped in fear. He'd been around when the Eight Tails was subdued before being sealed into Killer Bee, so he knew the kinds of devastation an out of control Tailed Beast or jinchuriki could cause. Granted, the Namikaze brat (for he could see the girl lying out cold behind the raging jinchuriki) seemed to be one of the lower tails, but that was the only good news. If he was to fight the demon container, chances were that he'd be unable to defeat the brat before he was either killed or worse was captured. Especially since he heard horror stories of Ibiki and the 'Red Hot-Blooded Habanero'. Before he could contemplate aborting the mission and fleeing, the three tailed boy attacked!

Moving at jonin level speeds, the red blur shot towards him with a furious roar. The Head Ninja was barely able to dodge out of the way of the deadly missile, but was unable to avoid the lashing tail that caught him in a lariat. The attempted kidnapper flipped over the chakra limb as the wind was knocked from his body. Before he could recover, the demon boy was right on top of him! Laying a clawed hand on the ninja's chest, the Namikaze boy seemed to grin as a pulse of chakra was sent out.

The Head Ninja could only gape in surprise as thick clumps of coral started to form on his chest. He had regained enough of his wits to try and break out, but by then it was too late. The jinchuriki created coral condensed until it formed a constricting prison on his body, making it so that he couldn't move. To make matters worse for the Cloud Ninja, the sound of rapidly approaching footfalls soon reached his ears.

Sure enough, in a matter of seconds the bulk of the Hyuuga Clans security had reached the area along with both the Main and Cadet Branch heads and (worst of all) both the Yellow Flash and his wife had arrived. They all paused, however, the moment they reached the area and saw the possessed boy standing beside the coral encased dignitary and the unconscious heiress only a few yards away.

Kushina was the first to regain her wits as she stepped forward hesitantly. "N-Naruto?" she called out to the possessed blonde.

The boy looked up at his mother for a tense minute, as if trying to figure out who the woman was, before the chakra around the whiskered child faded and caused him to collapse on the ground in exhaustion, his skin severely burnt. "NARUTO!" his parents called out as they rushed to his side.

Taking in his son's injuries, Minato looked to his wife and ordered, "Kushina, take Naruto and Hinata and get them to the hospital as fast as you can," he then turned to the captured Cloud Ninja with a look that nearly made the coral covered man void his bowels before continuing, "Hiashi and I have some business to take care of."

Kushina nodded immediately, as while her desire to take her pound of flesh out of the man who dared try to kidnap her son and the daughter of one of her closest friends, the children's well-being came first. She gave her husband a hard look however and said, "Give him one for me, honey," before scooping up both children and using the Body Flicker technique to head to the hospital.

On the way their, Isobu the Sanbi smirked inside the seal he was confined in as he thought, **'Perhaps things won't be as boring as I had thought. Let's see if you can keep that determination of yours, Naruto Namikaze!"**

1\. Both Gaara and Killer Bee had direct lines to their Kages, but even then most people were either fearful or scornful of them thanks to their status as jinchuriki. I feel that, even with his parents being alive and his status as their son being known, Naruto would still face adversity from the villagers (though not as much as canon) growing up as its human nature to fear the unknown.

2\. I know it doesn't seem believable for a toddler to overcome a Version 2 Cloak while teenage Naruto couldn't, but the way I see it is that a) Isobu is weaker than Kurama so his chakra is less potent and b) Naruto can do remarkably well under pressure like when he was able to learn the Rasengan in one week or be good enough to fight Neji with barely a month of training. And if you don't believe that, then you can just call main protagonist BS.


	5. Chapter 5

**4 Tails**

 **AN:** Here is the latest chapter of my 'Different Tailed Beast' challenge stories! We're going back to the prologue this chapter as to how Naruto got a different Tailed Beast sealed in him unlike my last challenge chapter, as in Kurama disappeared after the Gold and Silver Brothers and Madara had to substitute. This chapter will take place during the training for the Chunin Exams when Jiraiya was training Naruto. After he gets pushed down the ravine by the pervert, Naruto enters his mindscape to find Son Goku like he did with Kurama in canon. However, due to Son's proud and loud personality, he won't just sit idly by while his host is struggling. And unlike Roshi, Naruto will actually talk back to the four tailed ape and use his name.

Now this Naruto knows Lava Release, but he isn't aware he knows it until Son both tells and shows him it. Also, for the physical characteristic Naruto takes on after his birth, I was thinking he'd have red highlights in his hair, giving it a flame look (think Johnny Test). If the person or persons who adopt this story has a better idea, please let me know.

Again, I want to emphasize that this story is up for **adoption as a challenge.** This means that unless any of these stories get adopted, they'll stay in development limbo until the end of time. I'm sure we all don't want that, so please read, review, and adopt! Let me know via Review or PM.

I would also like to note that a lot of the dialogue when Naruto and Son Gokū meet is taken from their meeting in canon, because if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Everything afterwards is of my own brand of crazy.

P.S. I'm going to be helping a couple of my friends with some collaboration stories we're working on, and then hopefully by March I'll get to working on my main stories again. Don't quote me on that though!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

"PERVY SSSSSAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEE!" Naruto Uzumaki screamed in both anger and fear as he fell down the ravine his temporary teacher had thrown him down. If he'd have known that old lecher was going to pull off crap like this, he'd have left the perv alone back at the bath house! Or at least alert the women inside so they could take their literal pound of flesh from the man in revenge.

The flame haired boy struggled desperately to stick to the walls or at least grab onto something to stop his fall, but the walls of the chasm were too smooth and his descent too fast to reliably stop his sure to be fatal decent. The only way he could see out of this predicament would be to use the Summoning Jutsu to summon a toad big enough to cushion his fall. A part of his brain realized that this is what the Pervy Sage was hoping for, but the rest of the boy was too scared and angry to even think straight.

'This isn't good!' he thought desperately as he tried to find another way out of this. 'At this rate, I'll die!'

It was that word, that final word that stirred something within the Genin. As he continued to panic about his impending death, the world around him seemed to fade away. When he next became aware of his surroundings, no longer was he falling to his doom in a seemingly bottomless chasm, but instead he seemed to be in some kind of tropical forest.

"Huh? Where am I?" Naruto wondered aloud.

Nothing in the area looked remotely close to Konoha. Sure, the forest was dense with trees, but these trees were all wrong. Not only were they different types, many he'd never heard of before, but these trees were easily five times bigger than even the tallest trees in the Forest of Death. Wondering what he was to do now, Naruto saw a smooth dirt path leading away from the area he was in. Seeing no other alternative, the flame headed boy decided he'd see where this path went. Walking for what felt like hours, Naruto finally came across another clearing. This one, however, had a large mountain that seemed to stretch all the way into the heavens. Naruto noticed the path circled around to the other side of the mountain, and Naruto figured that perhaps there was a village or something on the other side that could tell him where he was.

The mountain was so large that it felt like another few hours to reach the other side. As he got closer to the other side of the mountain, Naruto noticed that it was steadily getting hotter, as if someone lit a large fire nearby. The young ninja in training got to the other side when he noticed an alcove dug into the side of the mountain that was easily the size of the Hokage Monument. The heat seemed to be even more intense from this area, and Naruto swore he heard the sound of heavy breathing coming from the alcove.

Naruto was debating what to do next, when a deep voice bellowed out, **"I know you are there, human! Come closer so that I may see you!"**

Against his better judgment, Naruto went closer to the entrance of the alcove and barely chocked back a startled gasp at what he saw. There, chained to the mountain, was a _titanic_ creature! It looked almost like a red-furred and green-skinned monkey, with a body-build of a gorilla. It's eyes were yellow irises and white pupils, spike-like protrusions along the length of its tails, elongated blunt fangs, and two long horns curving upwards on its forehead like a crown. The great ape opened it's mouth to speak when Naruto noticed that it didn't have a tongue, but an opening that is shaped like a dome to a volcano.

" **So, my jailer finally decides to grace me with his presence. I take it you want to steal my power from me next, eh!? Barging in here of all places, you dirty little brat! HooHaah!"** he (Naruto assumed it was a he, because the giant monkey had a certain masculine tone to his voice) boomed in a volume that caused the ground to tremble.

"Y-you're the Four Tails!" Naruto declared, realizing that this was the beast that had attacked his village on the day he was born and was subsequently sealed inside him.

" **Fool!" the Yonbi roared, "Do not give me that degrading moniker you humans give my brethren and I! I have a proper, honorable name! I am the Handsome Monkey King of the Water Screen Cave; the King of the Sage Monkeys, bestowed with the Dharma name of Son by the Sage of Six Paths. I am Son Gokū, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven hoohoohooooo!"**

Naruto blinked at that and asked in confusion, "Wait, which part of that was your name? HooHoo?"

" **It's Son Gokū, you moron!"** the now named Son Gokū spat. **"Humans are all stupid! You can't even remember names properly...you are all dumber than apes! I won't lend my power to such idiotic-!"**

"Wait, where am I?! Last thing I remember was falling and then-!" Naruto interrupted while looking around in confusion.

" **ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?! You ignored my most honorable name and then don't listen to me at all?! You're one rude brat, you know that?!"** Son Gokū yelled with a tick-mark on his crowned head.

"Huh?" Naruto turned his attention back to the enraged ape and grinned sheepishly, "Er, well, I'm sorry?"

Honestly, how else was he supposed to respond to that? At first, Naruto was just going to demand the monkey who threw a wrench into his life pay rent in the form of chakra, seeing as he's been living in him for all these years, but instead of an evil, lava spewing monster, he meets a giant ape who berates him on his manners of all things! It was almost like being lectured by Iruka-sensei, he thought uncomfortably. It was surprising to find out that the Four Tails and the other Tailed Beasts had names all along, though Naruto guessed it made sense. After all, just being named after the number of tails you have seems kind of redundant, truth be told.

Son cocked a nonexistent eyebrow at that and snorted. **"You...you're an honest one, for a human at least. I ain't never seen a human apologize to a Tailed Beast before. So...you're not in here to steal my power?"** he finished questioningly.

Now, many would say Naruto isn't the sharpest kunai in the bunch, but he was by no means stupid. If the Tailed Beast had just been a mindless beast or a sadistic monster, he'd have no problem demanding the chakra. However, he realized that Son Gokū was a proud being, and as such would rather have him become a smear at the bottom of the chasm than give the boy his powers if he just straight up demanded it. This required a gentle touch.

"Actually, could you lend me some of your chakra?" Naruto asked hopefully.

Naruto, however, is as gentle as a jackhammer.

Son narrowed his eyes and growled, **"And why, exactly should I do that? Are you just like the other humans and think that you have a right to my power? Chose your words carefully less I turn you to ash!"** He punctuated this statement by blowing out a stream of green flames from his maw.

Naruto gulped before steeling his nerves. "Hey! I'm not exactly thrilled by the whole thing either, but my super pervert of a sensei just shoved me down a freaking pit, and I'd rather not become a freaking pancake on the ground! So or you gonna help me or not, Son?!"

The giant monkey blinked for a moment before rearing his head back and laughing. This went on for a full minute before he could compose himself and stare at the boy who was his host. **"Heh, well you're not short on bravery, I'll give you that. All right, since I'm not in a hurry to die myself, I'll give you the chakra you need to save yourself. However, we WILL be talking again, I promise you that!"**

Before the Uzumaki could utter another word, he found himself back in the real world with him still falling towards the chasm's floor that was getting closer and closer! It was then that he felt a surge of chakra, powerful and hot, course through his body. Recognizing the feeling from that time in Wave, Naruto bit his thumb and performed the appropriate hand-seals before shouting out, "SUMMONING JUTSU!"

Before he knew it, the Genin found himself on top of a GIANT Toad! This Toad made the ones he'd seen the Pervy Sage summon seem puny in comparison! Thankfully, the summoning was right on time as it prevented him from becoming a smear on the ground. However, he soon learned that the Toad he summoned was named Gamabunta, and was apparently the Boss of all Toad Summons, and he didn't believe a kid his age was capable of summoning him. Naturally, Naruto reacted as he normally did when someone doubted his skills: shouting out insults and putting up a brave front. It seemed like Naruto had run out of his good luck when it came to speaking with giant talking animals for the day, because the Boss Toad was less than impressed with his bravado. It was then that the towering amphibian made him a deal; if Naruto was able to stay on his back for the rest of the day, Gamabunta would allow him to become his subordinate. Never one to back down from a challenge, Naruto agreed.

...He soon came to regret that decision.

As it turns out, riding a Toad as big as the Hokage Monument while it was jumping around more than a bucking bronco? Yeah...not that easy at all, especially when the winds blowing against him were approaching hurricane level of force. Naruto stuck to the back of the giant Toad using his chakra, but it just barely allowed him to hold on. He was just able to hold on until the end of the day, when a combination of chakra shortage and exhaustion caused him to pass out. When he awoke, he found himself back in the forest of his mind, standing before the four tailed ape.

" **So we meet again. I saw what happened after the last time you were in here, and I must say your performance against that over-sized tadpole was...severely underwhelming,"** Son grunted out.

Naruto barked back indignantly, "Hey! I was able to hold on, wasn't I?!"

" **Just barely, and the fact that was ALL you were able to do just shows how weak you are!"** Son snapped back. **"You may talk a big game and have the will to back it up, but as far as your physical abilities go, you are seriously lacking. You are my jinchuriki, and as such you represent the both of us, and I refuse to be associated with a slack-jawed moron who faints after riding a bug-munching toad! And if I read the situation correctly, you are going to be fighting in front of not only your village but other nations and their lords as well in a months time. As you are now, you'll only embarrass both yourself and me!"**

Naruto was about to retort before gaining a confused look and asking, "Wait, you know about the Chunin Exams?"

Naruto wasn't sure how one could roll their eyes without pupils, but somehow Son pulled it off. **"Of course I can, brat! I'm sealed inside you, remember? I've been watching the world through your eyes pretty much since the day you were born. It was only recently I've been able to interact with you in any way because you either subconsciously or consciously have tried to make contact with me. Now, the seal that binds me has weakened enough that we can communicate freely at the very least,"** He explained. The Four Tails then gained a mischievous grin on his fanged mouth as he continued, **"I must say, you've held a mildly entertaining life so far for one so young. I found your kiss with the Uchiha brat particularly humorous."**

Naruto immediately started to gag and sputter at the memory of that...unfortunate incident. He glared up at the ape and yelled out, "What the hell Son?!"

The Tailed Beast boomed with laughter, **"HooHooHooo! Ah, that was fun. I haven't laughed that much in nearly a century!"** he then gained a serious expression on his face as he continued, **"Back to the matter at hand though, while your life has given me a marginal amount of respect for you, the fact remains that you are sorely lacking in strength, especially compared to the foes you'll be facing in the near future."**

Naruto scowled, "If you're trying to discourage me, then forget it! I'm going to knock Neji off his high horse and pay him back for what he did to Hinata!"

Son shook his furry head at that, **"While wanting to avenge your future mate is admirable** (he pointedly ignored the boy's renewed sputtering) **, the fact remains that this 'Neji', is both older, more experienced, ruthless, and greatly stronger than you. And he isn't even the most dangerous foe you'll be facing!"**

Still upset at the monkey for looking down on his skills, his words confused the boy as he asked, "What do you mean?"

Son's eyes narrowed as he explained, **"That boy with the sand, Gaara was it?, he is like you. Within him is sealed my brother Shukaku, the One Tail."**

Naruto's eyes widened at that as he whispered, "He's like me? That guy?" Remembering the redhead's blood lust against Lee during the preliminaries along with the information Kabuto gave him during the First Exam, he gulped. There was no way he'd have a prayer against the Sand ninja if they fought now if that was the case.

" **I see you're beginning to understand,"** Son rumbled as he noticed his container's paler complexion.

Looking nearly desperate, Naruto looked back up to the giant ape and asked, trying to keep the stutter out of his voice, "Do I even have a chance against him?"

Son gained a contemplative look as he mused, **"If it was me fighting against Shukau or if you had more access to my powers? Perhaps. Physically speaking, Shukaku has the least chakra out of all my siblings. This does not make him weak, however. What he lacks in physical strength he more than makes up for in pure ruthlessness and technique. If we were to fight in a desert, my brother would have a natural advantage in the sand. Even without this advantage, he is still dangerous in his own right.**

" **And to top it all off, from what I was able to feel the seal holding Shukaku in that boy was incredibly weak. It was just barely holding him back, and I imagine that if the host were to lose consciousness, Shukaku would be freed. Even when awake, I'd imagine that my brother constantly torments the boy as his seal has no buffer to keep him out. Add it all together and you have a host who is probably as dangerous as my brother himself. So to answer your question, Naruto, as you are now you have no chance against him."**

Naruto looked slightly ill at that, not only at his chances but at the kind of hell he imagined his fellow container going through if Son's hypothesis was correct. He then realized though, that this deranged jinchuriki was going to be going up against his teammate in the Finals. Bastard though he thought Sasuke was, he never wanted to see the Uchiha actually _killed_! And if Sasuke planned to fight Gaara all out (of which he had no doubt), then there was no question on the outcome of that match. And, if by some miracle Sasuke survived but lost, it would be _him_ fighting the redhead after he beat Neji (if he beat Neji, a treacherous part of his mind supplied). There was only one thing left to do in that case.

Looking Son Gokū directly in the eyes with his determination blaring, Naruto stated, "Teach me then."

Son blinked. **"** **Eh?"** he questioned.

Naruto looked down, his fists clenched. "You're right. Compared to Neji, Gaara, hell even _Sasuke_ , I'm weak right now. I was only able to beat Haku because of your help and I won against Kiba thanks to a lucky accident. The only fights I won straight up were against Mizuki and those Rain Ninja in the Second Exam, and I won against Mizuki 'cause I caught him by surprise and I had my team backing me up in the Forest. As I am, I'd be lucky if I manage to make Neji even try when we fight, never mind fighting Gaara! Pervy Sage was able to help with my training a bit, but I don't think I'll be able to win with just Water Walking and Summoning Toads. You said I needed to get stronger, so please help me get stronger!" he finished while bowing his head to the ape.

Son for his part was stunned. In his years of watching the young Uzumaki, he had never seen the boy show the amount of humility that he shown right now. And the biggest kicker? He knew Naruto wasn't asking to be trained just for himself, but to protect those precious to him like that Haku boy said. It was more than likely an extremely hard pill to swallow, especially considering that he more than likely still thought of Son as the monster who attacked his village and was responsible for how he'd been treated by the villagers. At this moment, Naruto Uzumaki had done more to earn Son Gokū's respect than any human had since the Sage died. Really, how could he say no in this situation?

" **...Very well,"** Son said as Naruto looked back up to him eagerly. **"** **However, I should tell you now that I won't be easy on you."**

"Hey, I'm gonna be Hokage someday, so I can take whatever you can dish out!" Naruto boasted while jabbing a thumb to his chest.

Son chuckled, **"Indeed. Now, while this seal is still in place I can't offer you as much assistance as I could normally, but for now I can at least help you unlock your hidden abilities that come with being my container."**

Naruto cocked his head and asked, "Hidden abilities?"

" **Yes,"** Son nodded, **"You see, thanks to being my jinchuriki since the day you were born, my chakra nature has mixed in with yours naturally your entire life, you just haven't been aware of it."**

"Chakra nature?" Naruto questioned with squinted eyes.

Son sighed, **"...We should also work on your intelligence while we're here. I'd rather not have a dumbass as much as I'd want a weak one."** Ignoring Naruto's indignant squawk, the Four Tails briefly explained to him chakra natures and the method behind it. **"Naturally, you were born with a Wind nature chakra if I'm feeling this right. However, my chakra nature added in allows you access to both Fire and Earth natures as well. When combined, these give you the Bloodline Limit known as Lava Release."**

Naruto was practically bouncing up and down in excitement, "That sounds way cool! I can't wait to learn it!" he then gained a contemplative look as he took in his surroundings and looked back to the Tailed Beast, "Er...can I even learn new jutsu in here? And what about in the real world? Won't people notice me being asleep for days on end?"

" **Hmph, maybe you're not as dense as I first thought. Those are actually very good questions. Fortunately, this is your mindscape. While you won't get stronger physically here since your muscles and such won't be in use, you can still learn new things and become stronger mentally. As for the real world, you noticed that barely time any passed when we first met? That is because while you are in here, time slows down significantly. A few hours in here can translate to only a handful of seconds in the real world.**

" **This is not a perfect solution, however. You see, if you train too hard in here, you'll risk mentally exhausting yourself. Push yourself too hard, and you run the risk of doing some permanent damage to your mind. That said, as long as you pace yourself you'll have plenty of time to learn the basics of Lava Release before the month is out. Hopefully by then you'll be a host worthy of being associated with my name, hoohoo!"**

While not exactly thrilled at the jabs at his intelligence, Naruto beamed when he learned what his mindscape and new partnership made him capable of. "All right, let's get to it!" he cheered.

This looked to be the start of a beautiful, if somewhat strange, friendship!


End file.
